U.S. soccer calls on six from Bay Area for women's team

Six players from Bay Area colleges have been invited to U.S. soccer training camp ahead of games against Mexico, coach Jill Ellis announced Friday.

Cal alum Alex Morgan and Stanford graduate Christen Press lead the group at the forward spot. Joining them are Stanford alums Nicole Barnhart, Kelley O'Hara and Rachel (Buehler) Van Hollebeke. Santa Clara graduate Julie Johnston also is one of the team's defenders.

The women will play host to Mexico on Sept. 13 in Sandy, Utah, and Sept. 18 in Rochester, New York, in two exhibitions.

The camp will help determine who makes the 20-member team for World Cup qualifying games in October. The 2015 women's World Cup is scheduled for next summer in Canada.

"It's no secret that the battle for spots on the qualifying roster will be extremely competitive and we're looking forward to the training environment and two tough games against a Mexico team that we will likely see again during the CONCACAF championship," Ellis said in a statement.

Most of the players will begin training next weekend in Salt Lake City. Virginia midfielder Morgan Brian is the only non-professional in camp.